Southern California is heading into a windy weekend that could whip up dangerous seas, push surf higher along exposed beaches and briefly raise the risk of wildfire in some inland and mountain areas.
The strongest gusts are expected Friday night and Saturday along the Interstate 5 corridor, the northwestern Antelope Valley and the Santa Ynez Mountains, where there is a 70% chance winds reach 40 to 55 mph and a 20% chance they top 60 mph. Mike Wofford said the winds could create elevated fire weather conditions, with brief periods of critical risk in some areas.
Wofford’s warning matters because the region is near the tail end of its rainy season, and soils and vegetation have begun to dry out. Even so, the weather service said it likely will take another month or two before fuels are critically dry and fully primed to spread large fires. Temperatures are also expected to run about 5 degrees below normal on Saturday and Sunday, which may take some edge off the heat but will not blunt the wind.
At sea, the threat is broader and more immediate. Gale warnings are in effect this weekend for the outer waters, the inner waters along the Central Coast and the Santa Barbara Channel, with winds forecast to build to gale force Friday afternoon and continue through Sunday. Local storm force gusts are possible late Saturday afternoon and evening for the outer waters from the Central Coast to San Nicolas Island. The National Weather Service said the dangerous sea conditions could capsize or damage both small and large vessels.
Beachgoers are facing a separate risk window that begins Friday afternoon. High surf advisories run from 3 p.m. Friday to 9 a.m. Monday for beaches in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, where large breaking waves could reach 5 to 15 feet. The weather service said the waves could wash people off beaches and rocks, and that dangerous rip currents could pull swimmers out to sea. Hazardous rip currents and elevated surf are also expected at Los Angeles County beaches and along the Malibu coast.
Saturday and Sunday could also bring minor beach erosion and isolated minor coastal flooding during evening high tides. That makes the weekend more than just a rough-weather story: it is a coastal hazard period with separate threats for drivers, boaters, surfers and anyone planning to spend time near open water.
The bottom line is that the wind will be strongest where it can do the most damage. Inland gusts may brush wildfire concerns in places that have started to dry out, while the coast and offshore waters face the more immediate danger of surf, rip currents and hazardous seas through Monday morning.
